Commissioner Murman mentioned and quoted in this Creative Loafing article on homelessness:

Hillsborough County officials say they can end homelessness in a “business-like way.”

Mitch Perry,

Dec 4, 2013 at 7:14 PM

In October the Tampa Bay Times reported that since 2011, Hillsborough County’s Homeless Recovery program has sent at least 130 ailing men and women to Bay Gardens, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $260,000. That ultimately led to County Administrator Mike Merrill to say that his staff was unable to review those cases listed by the paper because of the way the county’s records were kept.

Shortly after that, the county announced that it was working with non-profit organizations to transition to a new model for delivering assistance to the homeless. As part of this transition, the County’s Homeless Recovery Office will now close at the end of the year.

At a joint luncheon with the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County School Board on Wednesday, Merrill said the county would provide funding and support, but would no longer be in the homeless business themselves.

“We’ll leave the Homeless Initiative program to those who do the job well like Metropolitan Ministries and the Salvation Army. We’ll provide funding, we’ll provide support….it takes a longtime to unwind 16 years of bad behavior and so we’re getting to it as quickly as we can,” he said about the problems with the Homeless Recovery program.

Merrill said he was extremely optimistic about changes within the leading organization for the homeless in the county – the organization formerly known as the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, now rebranded as the Tampa-Hillsborough Homeless Initiative. “We can end homelessness and we can prevent homelessness,” he boldly proclaimed. “We just need to do it in a business-like way. Achieving social objectives, but business models work.”

Commissioner Sandy Murman chimed in that it was important for the county government to take control of both the homeless and animal services divisions, both troubled agencies that have had their problems extensively chronicled in the local media.

And she lavished enthusiasm about the teamwork going on between the city and the county when it comes to dealing with the homeless. “I’m very encouraged about that.”

Also at the meeting today Tampa City Council Lisa Montelione described her collaboration with Pinellas County state Representative Kathleen Peters on a social marketing campaign involving the Art Institute of Tampa. “They’re designing a media package that can be handed over to a community,” Montelione said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Creative Loafing article on the Civil Service Board:

Plan to cripple Hillsborough County Civil Services Board remains on track

Mitch Perry, Creative Loafing

Dec 2, 2013

The Hillsborough County legislative delegation met to discuss local bills on Monday

The local delegation of Hillsborough County lawmakers voted this morning to take a bill up to Tallahassee next spring that could see the power of the County’s Civil Service Board be severely limited — if not slowly killed.

The bill is being sponsored in the House by Dana Young (R-Tampa), who said that the world of local government and human resources has changed dramatically since the 1950’s, when the agency was conceived. The board works with all 21 of the county’s public agencies, classifying workers and setting pay scales.

One thing that the bill would not change is the board’s power to handle grievances for employee terminations, demotions and suspensions.

The County Commission and all of the publicly elected agency heads, such as Tax Assessor Doug Belden, strongly support the move. Although he said it was nothing personal, Belden blasted officials with the county agency, saying Civil Services was “not a true partner“ and works in a “non-collaborative manner.”

Accusations that the Civil Services Board simply creates too much bureaucracy was the general theme of the discussion. County Commissioner Sandy Murman said there was a need for the county to hire only “The best and the brightest,” and that Civil Service was a barrier to implementing that. County Administrator Mike Merrill agreed, saying the move would benefit taxpayers by eliminating a layer of duplicative services.

The man on the hot seat and having to defend the agency was Dane Peterson, who heads the Civil Service Board. Acknowledging that he wasn’t resistant to change, he said the agency had cut costs by 17 percent over the past six years, while at the same time adding services to various agencies, such as with Doug Belden’s Tax Assessor’s office.

“My point is we not only welcome opportunities for improvement, we seek them out,” Peterson said, adding that he has been shut out of reform efforts — a comment that seemed to rankle Belden and Clerk of the Courts Pat Frank, both of whom said they had talked with Peterson in the past.

Brandon-area state Senator Tom Lee said it sounded to him like the bill would ultimately kill the agency outright, though not at once. Bill sponsor Dana Young disagreed, saying the proposed law had been structured to give the Civil Services Board an opportunity to “retool.” And she insisted it was employee-friendly. “We need to focus on employees, not process,” she maintained.

Although Lee said he still had issues with the legislation, he ultimately supported it. Only two Democrats — Senator Arthenia Joyner and Representative Darryl Rouson — voted against the bill.

Commissioner Murman mentioned and quoted in this Times article on rotating chair for BOCC:

Hillsborough commission to consider rotating chairman

Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer

BILL VARIANTampa Bay Times

Monday, November 25, 2013 11:28pm

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TAMPA — Picking a board chairman is one of the more painful political decisions Hillsborough County commissioners make each year.

Arms get twisted by supporters of those vying for the title and the $10,000 stipend that comes with it. Feelings get hurt by the inevitable snubs.

“It creates bad feelings between the board members and puts them unnecessarily at odds,” said Commissioner Victor Crist. “That creates a negative environment that lasts through the year.”

So Crist is reviving an idea that the board has rejected before, most recently in 2011. He wants to create a rotation starting next year with Sandra Murman, the District 1 office holder who happens to have been passed over the last three years.

(Unless, of course, she gets picked as lieutenant governor. Her name is on a short list of people Gov. Rick Scott is considering for the vacant position.)

After Murman, the next chairman would be the District 2 office holder, Crist, on down to District 7, then start over again.

In a wrinkle, Crist is proposing that commissioners have the ability to skip a seat if the person in it doesn’t want the largely ceremonial job that means attending lots of ribbon cuttings. They could also skip someone they don’t care to have represent them.

“You’ve got to have a safeguard in there in case you had someone like a Kevin White,” said Crist, referring to the former county commissioner who before getting sent to prison for accepting bribes was found by a jury to have sexually harassed one of his aides.

Commissioners will take up Crist’s idea at their annual retreat on Dec. 8.

There’s no telling whether the proposal has any better chance of passing this time than last. The same board members were serving on the commission when they voted 4-3 to reject the notion. They said at the time that they should not relinquish their ability to pick who leads them.

After initially opposing the idea, Crist was the lone Republican to join in supporting the board’s two Democrats, Kevin Beckner and Les Miller, who had suggested the concept then in the interest of greater harmony.

Republican activists let it be known that they were not happy with the idea. The party’s executive committee even held a vote to demonstrate its opposition.

With a 5-2 super-majority on the commission, Republicans say its leader should reflect the will of the people as reflected in the board’s makeup. Some reached recently say they still feel the same way.

“If you’re afraid to get in the ring, don’t run,” said Republican political consultant and blogger Chris Ingram, who fought the idea last time. “The idea of rotating rather than picking the best person suited for the job is just preposterous.”

Republican political consultant Anthony Pedicini says the proposal is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It’s not like Democrats are unable to have their issues heard, and often approved, despite the Republican majority. Just look, he said, at its recent repeal of a policy banning county recognition of gay pride events.

“This is a very non-partisan board policy-wise, more so than in years past,” Pedicini said.

Those sentiments seem to be shared by other Republicans on the board.

Murman, who would be the next chairwoman, said she appreciates what Crist is trying to achieve. The annual selection does cause behind-the-scenes drama, she acknowledged, and this would help address it, making Hillsborough more like Pinellas and Pasco counties, which use some form of rotating chairmen.

Despite that, she added, “I’m not totally an affirmative vote yet, but I think it’s time to have that discussion.”

Current Chairman Mark Sharpe, who, like Murman, also had been passed over in the past, nevertheless opposed the concept the last go around. But he’s keeping an open mind. He leaves the board after eight years in 2014 due to term limits, so it won’t affect him.

He said the board has had a way of figuring out who best to lead it at the right time, in recent years that being Commission Ken Hagan. Sharpe said he’s not sure commissioners should abandon that ability to choose.

Besides, he joked, “Now that I got picked, I kind of like this process.”

Bill Varian can be reached at varian@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3387.

Commissioner Murman Honors

Indigent Health Care Plan Providers

For the past several years, Hillsborough County has secured millions of dollars in additional federal funds for the hospitals and Federally Qualified Health  Centers (FQHCs) providing services to the HCHCP by participating in the Low Income Pool, Disproportionate Share, State-wide Issues, Buybacks and related intergovernmental transfer (IGT) programs administered by the Agency for Health Care.

At the BOCC Meeting held on November 6, 2013, Commissioner Sandy Murman recognized through proclamation all Hillsborough County Health Care Plan (HCHCP) partner hospitals, networks and ancillary providers for their participation in the innovative and cost effective health care programs for the County’s indigent population, commonly know as the Low Income Pool (LIP).
Participation in these programs has resulted in a return of more than $200 million to our community for state fiscal years 12, 13 and 14.
Commissioner Murman proclaimed November 4, 2013 – November 8, 2013 as Hillsborough County Health Care Plan’s Provider Recognition Week.

To secure this funding, Hillsborough County enters into contracts with AHCA for the LIP programs in which the County agrees to transfer funding to AHCA at levels agreed to by the parties. The source of funding is the Indigent Health Care Trust Fund. In turn, each participating HCHCP hospital and FQHC agree to provide services to the HCHCP at no charge to the County up to the total amount of the IGT transferred by the County on its behalf.

FY14 is the first year that the HCHCP ancillary service providers partnered in the IGT and LIP Programs resulting in a total of approximately $60M dollars in total IGT and LIP Program dollars.
This proclamation action was recommended by the Hillsborough County Health Care Advisory Board (HCAB) to recognize the Hospitals, Networks and Ancillary Providers at their October 18, 2013 meeting.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Times article on Tampa Bay Water:

Tampa Bay Water votes to settle reservoir suit, pay engineers $21 million in legal fees

CRAIG PITTMANTampa Bay Times

Monday, October 21, 2013 11:59am

After losing both at trial and on appeal, Tampa Bay Water’s board voted 8-0 Monday to end its pursuit of damages from the engineering company that designed its flawed 15.5 billion gallon reservoir.

Instead, the utility will pay HDR Engineering’s legal fees and costs, totaling about $21 million.

“These fees will be paid through funds on hand and they will not directly affect water rates,” Tampa Bay Water spokeswoman Michelle Biddle said in a statement emailed to the Times.

The utility’s board really had no choice after the appeals court decision last month, explained board members Susan Latvala, Charlie Miranda and Sandra Murman.

“There were no other avenues to take,” said Miranda, a Tampa city councilman.

Latvala, a Pinellas County commissioner who chairs the Tampa Bay Water board, said voting to end the suit was “one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face.” But given what happened in court, she said, “there’s nothing left to do but pay up and move on.”

While Murman agreed, she expressed anger and frustration that HDR would insist on so much money from a government entity. She said that was one of the main reasons for dropping the case: “We can’t afford to pay them any more money.”

HDR chairman George A. Little said he was “pleased by the Tampa Bay Water board’s decision.” However, he said, the five-year court battle “was frustrating for us because we made every attempt to resolve the issue so everyone involved could avoid time consuming and expensive litigation.”

HDR, a Nebraska company, designed the C.W. Bill Young Reservoir and oversaw its construction in Hillsborough County. The project was approved in 1998 with no discussion by the utility’s board. The company the board hired to design it — again, with no discussion or debate — had never worked on a project like it.

The only off-stream reservoir that HDR had worked on before was built for Clinton, Texas — a project the city manager says was “orders of magnitude smaller” than what Tampa Bay Water got.

The job of overseeing the company’s work was assigned to a utility employee who wasn’t a licensed engineer. Meanwhile, state permitting officials from the Department of Environmental Protection had never dealt with a reservoir this big, so they relied on the advice of a consultant who worked for the phosphate industry on smaller dams.

The reservoir — the largest in Florida — opened in June 2005 to store water skimmed from the Alafia River, Hillsborough River and Tampa Bypass Canal. Within months, cracks developed in the earthen embankment surrounding the reservoir. The utility is now spending about $122 million to fix it.

In 2008, Tampa Bay Water sued HDR and two contractors who had worked on the reservoir, saying they should pay for repairs. The contractors settled the claims for $6.75 million, leaving only HDR as the defendant.

Tampa Bay Water initially demanded $225 million from HDR. In 2011 HDR offered $30 million to settle, but Tampa Bay Water officials rejected that.

In April 2012 the case went to trial in federal court. By then Tampa Bay Water had reduced its damage claim to $73 million.

After listening to testimony for a month, the jury took just four hours to find for HDR. The quick verdict marked another public relations setback for Tampa Bay Water, which has seen two of its boldest projects — the reservoir and the Apollo Beach desalination plant — evolve into the source of repeated headaches.

U.S. District Court Judge James Whittemore ruled that HDR deserved $9.2 million in attorneys’ fees and $10.8 million in expenses for defending itself against the lawsuit. Whittemore called the fees “extraordinary” but explained in his 38-page ruling, “This was no ordinary engineering malpractice case.”

In fact, he noted in his ruling, some testimony suggested it might be “the largest engineering professional liability case, in terms of damages sought, ever tried to a jury.”

The utility appealed. But last month three judges with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a ruling rejecting the utility’s arguments that the trial judge had committed a series of errors.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tribune article on the 5-2 district plan:

Bid for single-member district fails at Hillsborough commission

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff
Published: November 6, 2013   |   Updated: November 7, 2013 at 06:57 AM

TAMPA — Norma Reno struggled to regain her composure Wednesday after Hillsborough County Commissioners killed her hopes of adding a Hispanic-leaning commission district through a voter referendum.

“We knew this didn’t mean we would get a district,” Reno said, wiping away tears, “but we’ve been fighting so hard. This was one more step we needed.”

Four Republican board members _ Ken Hagan, Sandy Murman, Victor Crist and Al Higginbotham _voted against putting a redistricting proposal on the November 2014 ballot. The proposal, by Commissioner Les Miller, would have added a fifth single-member district to the commission, eliminating one of the three at-large commission seats, which are elected in a countywide vote.

Miller needed five votes to send the district proposal to the voters but got only three _ his own and those of fellow Democrat Kevin Beckner and Republican Mark Sharpe.

“I can’t for the life of me understand why this commission will not allow the people that elect you to decide how to elect … to have what they want,” an exasperated Miller said as he saw his chance for passing the measure evaporate.

It was the second time Miller had tried and failed to get the measure passed. In 2011, commissioners voted 5-2 against even holding a public hearing on the issue. Both times, Hispanic groups rallied their supporters to attend public hearings, but to no avail.

Hispanics hoped Miller’s proposal would lead to a district with 35 percent or more of Spanish-heritage residents who could coalesce to elect one of their own. The ordinance the commission voted down included language about increasing the “opportunity for representation …that reflects the diversity of the citizenry of the commission.”

Reno, who said she is a Republican, blamed the defeat on the tea party’s influence and the conservatism of the board’s GOP members.

“They’re afraid of change; they listen to the party,” Reno said. “They are thinking about votes. Maybe when we start voting, they’ll listen to us.”

Several commissioners said they disagreed with a provision in the ordinance calling for the city-county Planning Commission to draw the new voting lines should voters approve the change. Beckner pushed to have the provision inserted to prevent the kind of political gerrymandering he said Republican commissioners engaged in after the 2010 census.

Murman said she didn’t believe it was the commission’s job to draw new districts so soon after the 2011 redistricting process. She said any proposal to add or subtract districts should come from the county’s charter review commission.

“I believe … if you keep going outside your process, it will really dilute our authority and power up here,” Murman said.

Other commissioners voting no said they wanted to preserve the present system that allows every voter to cast ballots for a majority of the commission _ one commissioner who lives in their district and three members who are elected in a countywide vote.

The vote came after commissioners heard nearly an hour’s worth of public comments. More than 20 people, mostly Hispanics, spoke in favor of putting the district proposal on the ballot. Many speakers pointed out that Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the county, making up 25 percent of the population. Yet there are no Latino commissioners in Hillsborough County.

“How are you going to know about the real issues of 25 percent of the population if they are not properly represented?” asked Maria Asuncion Lopez, president of the Hispanic Alliance of Tampa Bay.

A few speakers opposed the idea of carving out voting districts to favor any ethnic or racial group.

“This board at times seems preoccupied with discriminating policies that identify us as anything but citizens, that set us apart from one another, serve only to divide us,” said Ken Roberts. “I think we should avoid them.”

Miller said he originally proposed the change to create smaller districts that would bring county government closer to the people. Each of the four district commissioners now represents 307,000 people. Adding a district would reduce the number of people represented by a commissioner to 247,000.

Edwin Enciso, who spoke in favor of Miller’s proposal, added some perspective. He said each member of the U.S.House of Representatives represents 721,000 people, less than the 1.2 million represented by each of the at-large commissioners.

“These at-large commissioners can be elected without any Hispanic support,” Enciso said after the vote. “That’s the reason we want them broken up – we want to have representatives closer to where we live.”

After the redistricting proposal was defeated, commissioners unanimously passed a motion by Miller to have the county’s charter review board take up the redistricting proposal when it meets again in 2015. The charter board, by a two-thirds majority, can put charter changes on the ballot.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Times article on the renaming of ELAPP for Jan Platt:

Hillsborough commissioners name environmental lands program after Jan Platt

BILL VARIAN, Tampa Bay Times

October 16, 2013

TAMPA — The Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to name its popular land-preservation program for its originator, former board member Jan Platt.

Known as “Commissioner No” for her stubborn refusal to bend to developers and other elected officials, Platt, 77, came up with the idea for the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program in the 1980s. It was approved by voters 25 years ago and has since preserved more than 61,000 acres of county land at a cost of about $254 million, with two-thirds coming from property taxes.

Commissioners showered Platt with praise for her perseverance and dedication as a public servant. They also dismissed criticism from a few environmentalists who said the idea was hatched in haste and that the program shouldn’t be politicized by attaching one person’s name to it.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner acknowledged that the proposal he floated last month was spontaneous. It came as the board was celebrating the 25th anniversary of ELAPP, and Beckner said he realized during that presentation that the program and environmental stewardship are among Platt’s most enduring legacies.

“My suggestion did not come out of nowhere,” he said. “It came from the heart. And sometimes when you’re sitting up here on this dais and you hear things as they move forward, there are things that come to your heart and you just believe are just the right thing to do.”

A small crowd of Platt’s friends and family, including her husband, son, and former commissioner, state Sen. and University of South Florida president Betty Castor were on hand in support. So were several current and past county employees.

“This means so much to me,” Platt told commissioners. “I just thank you so much for recognizing the importance of this program.”

One by one, each of the seven county commissioners took a moment to praise Platt both for coming up with the idea for ELAPP and for her years of public service, as a commissioner and with the Tampa City Council. At a time when politics nationally is defined by partisan gridlock, it was notable that the praise for Platt, a Democrat, was offered in equal measure by the board’s five Republican members.

“At a time when I think the public confidence in our elected officials is so low, to have individuals who are willing to get into the arena and, irrespective of party affiliation or your position, conduct yourself with such honor, integrity and character at all times and walk away with your head held high and people respecting you says so much about you,” said Republican Commissioner Mark Sharpe.

Republican Commissioner Sandra Murman, the lone woman on the board, praised Platt as a role model for young females.

And Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, also a Republican, dismissed concerns raised by some that attaching a name to the program could cause people to waver in supporting it. He noted that about 80 percent of voters in 2008 authorized an extension of ELAPP.

“Anyone that would not support ELAPP simply because of who the program is named after is likely among the 20 percent that voted against it anyway,” Hagan said. “There is no one more deserving of this honor than Jan.”

Playing on her nickname, Commissioner Victor Crist asked County Attorney Chip Fletcher if board members could each vote no but have those votes each recorded as a yes as a salute. As Fletcher looked around uncomfortably and other board members glanced at Crist sideways, he withdrew the suggestion.

Commissioners presented Platt with a mounted placard to memorialize the occasion.

It credits her with helping preserve thousands of acres for future generations to enjoy. It concluded: “You have provided a legacy of serene places to visit, glorifying the natural beauty of Hillsborough County.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Observer/Current article on Amazon in South County:

Without a word, Amazon making huge waves in South Hillsborough

MITCH TRAPHAGEN, The Current

October 17, 2013

The world’s largest Internet retailer, Amazon.com, is making huge waves in Ruskin and throughout the Tampa Bay area without saying a word.

According to Hillsborough County records, a company named RELP Tampa, LLC, a Delaware corporation with the same mailing address as USAA Real Estate Company, purchased 80 acres of mixed use, commercial property in Ruskin from South Shore Corporate Park, LLC, a company affiliated with property developer Ryan Cos. U.S., Inc. of Minneapolis late last week for $14.6 million. The property is located near I-75 in the vicinity of 30th Street NE between State Road 674 and 19th Avenue NE. The Hillsborough Community College Ruskin campus is also located in the immediate area.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reported last month that USAA Real Estate Company has developed seven Amazon distribution centers around the country over the past two years.

Amazon has not confirmed or denied the 80-acre purchase in Ruskin is related to a proposed distribution center, which the company refers to as fulfillment centers. The company has not issued a public statement on the matter since earlier this summer after coming to an agreement with Governor Rick Scott to invest $300 million and bring at least 3,000 jobs to the state starting in 2014.

Requests for comment by The Current went largely unanswered with one Amazon media representative replying that the request hand been “passed along to the right team” within the company.

The fulfillment center is expected to be in excess of one million square feet and employ 1,000 people. Also earlier this summer, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted to waive half of Amazon’s property tax bill for the first seven years and approved paying $1.1 million in incentives for the company to include at least 375 “high paying jobs”, offering salaries in excess of $47,500.

“The South Shore area has been a diamond in the rough for a long time,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman. “Someone has finally found the treasure here in Amazon’s decision to locate its distribution center in Ruskin. It’s going to mean economic development and more jobs for an area that so desperately needed a jump-start after the recession. It’s a perfect fit, and it couldn’t happen in a better place than South County.”

With Amazon expected to begin business operations in Florida in any of several possible sites around the state in 2014, residents will, at some as of yet undetermined point, begin paying Florida sales tax on Amazon purchases, which are currently not subject to sales tax. That issue, however, may soon be rendered moot as Congress inches ever closer to an Internet sales tax, requiring all but the smallest Internet merchants to collect state and local taxes. On the positive side for Amazon customers, however, is the possibility of same-day service on Amazon orders, a service that the company offers in eleven other cities around the country. Subscribers to Amazon Prime, a $79 annual membership plan, pay as little as $3.99 per item for same day delivery in those markets.

Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in a Seattle garage, went online in 1995. Today the company operates 33 fulfillment centers in the United States with at least two more expected to go online in the coming months. Amazon has nearly 40 other fulfillment centers around the world. The company employs approximately 100,000 full and part-time employees, not including seasonal employees, and reported $61.1 billion in 2012 revenues.

Commissioner Murman mentioned and quoted in this Tribune Editorial on Amazon:

October 11, 2013

TBO.com

As far as economic news in Hillsborough County is concerned, it doesn’t get much better than this.

By all indications, online retailer Amazon.com has chosen a site in Ruskin to build and operate a giant warehouse operation that will employ as many as 1,000 people, a third of them for annual salaries averaging nearly $50,000. The facility is expected to generate millions of dollars a year in local property taxes.

In addition to the local economic windfall, the state will also benefit by collecting the 6 percent sales tax on purchases made by Amazon’s customers in Florida.

County Commissioner Sandra Murman announced Thursday that the Seattle-based retailer has signed a long-term lease on the land where a 1-mllion-square foot warehouse will be built, and that construction will soon begin.

Amazon’s interest in Hillsborough was revealed in June, when Gov. Rick Scott announced the retailer was promising to invest $300 million by building facilities in the state that would employ 3,000 workers.

It appears Hillsborough hit the jackpot. Amazon will spend $200 million building its assembly and distribution center in Ruskin, where a third of those 3,000 workers will be employed. A smaller operation is also expected to open in Lakeland.

The deal represents the best possible use of economic incentives to create jobs and stimulate a local economy.

To lure Amazon to Ruskin, Hillsborough County commissioners agreed to exempt nearly $1 million in property taxes over the first seven years of its operations. That represents about half of the anticipated annual property tax bill. The county is also contributing $225,000 toward a package of incentives involving local and state money.

Plenty has been written about wasteful incentives given to companies that fail to deliver jobs. But Amazon is a proven retail giant that can be expected to contribute to the economy for years to come.

Critics also question whether the sales tax that will be assessed against online Amazon purchases in the state represents a tax increase for Floridians. Far from it. All online sales in the state should be assessed a sales tax, just as purchases from brick-and-mortar stores in the state are assessed.

In her announcement, Murman said the Amazon deal “is bigger than the Super Bowl, a National Convention or the Olympics.”

We’re not sure how valid those comparisons might be, but we are certain that landing Amazon is a major boost to a county badly damaged by the housing meltdown and weary from the lingering effects of the recession.